Esther in Medieval Garb: Jewish Interpretation of the Book of Esther in the Middle Ages

by Barry Dov Walfish

Overview

This comprehensive history, the first to appear in English, gives a vivid portrayal of the Book of Esther's role in the intellectual and cultural life of Jews in the Middle Ages. Much of the study is based on material that exists only in manuscripts, and it introduces many exegetes hitherto unknown or unstudied.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781438423074
Publisher:	State University of New York Press
Publication date:	02/01/2012
Series:	SUNY series in Judaica: Hermeneutics, Mysticism, and Religion
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	400
File size:	27 MB
Note:	This product may take a few minutes to download.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments
Abbreviations
Introduction

PART I. THE WORK OF THE EXEGETE

1. Jewish Sources for Exegesis

2. Non-Jewish Sources for Exegesis

3. Literary Concerns

4. Theological Issues

PART II. THE WORLD OF THE EXEGETE

5. Persia through European Eyes: Geography, Architecture, Customs, and Institutions

6. Jewish-Gentile Relations and Jewish Attitudes to Gentiles as Reflected in the Commentaries

7. The State of the Jewish People in the Diaspora: Perceptions of Antisemitism

8. The Royal Court

9. The Jews and the Monarchy: The Role of Ahasuerus in the Book of Esther

Concluding Remarks

Appendix I. The Exegetes of the Book of Esther: A Bio-bibliographical Survey with Textual Excursuses

Appendix II. Immanuel of Rome and Dante on the Differentiation of Languages and the Dating of Immanuel's Commentary on the Book of Esther

Notes

Bibliography
Medieval Commentaries on the Book of Esther in Print and in Manuscript

Other Primary Sources

Secondary Sources

Author and Title Index

Subject Index

Index of Scripture Citations

Index of Manuscripts by Depository Libraries

Editorial Reviews

Drawing on many commentaries that exist only in manuscript, and that have not previously been known or studied, explores the role of the Book of Esther in the intellectual and cultural life of Jews during the Middle Ages. Walfish (Jewish studies, U. of Toronto) surveys the Jewish and non-Jewish sources for exegesis and explains literary and theological issues, then shows how the story appeared in such contexts as the European perceptions of Persia, Jewish-Gentile relations, antisemitism, and the royal court. The apparatus includes bio-bibliographies of the exegetes, bibliographies of printed and manuscript medieval commentaries, and, among the indexes, those of scriptural citations and of manuscripts by depository libraries. Paper edition (unseen), $23.95. Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)

Booknews

"There is nothing like this for the Book of Esther, and little like it for any body of medieval Jewish exegesis. The author's research enables the reader to see specific connections between individual exegetes and the medieval settings in which they lived. One gets a wonderful picture of various medieval Jewish (and gentile) communities from this book." — Edward L. Greenstein, Jewish Theological Seminary of America

"This work is an invaluable bibliographic resource, the most comprehensive account of Jewish medieval interpretation of any biblical book. Going beyond mere survey, Walfish offers insightful (and, in some cases, ground-breaking) discussions of three aspects of the commentaries under consideration: their value for biblical exegesis; their place in Jewish and general intellectual history; and their contribution to the study of the societies out of which they emerged." — Alan Cooper, Hebrew Union College

From the Publisher